I was looking to supplement my Surefire minimus headlamp recently. While I really like that headlamp for general use (other than the lack of a strap over the top of the head, which is fixable), I wanted something with more power. I ran across the Petzl Ultra Rush on a review page and looked into it. The cost ($400.00 plus) and the proprietary battery packs (also insanely expensive) pretty much put it off my list. But, I used it as a base search to find what others suggested in its place. A few reviews later and I was convinced the Petzl was not for me—aside from cost, it got blasted for poor battery life and the proprietary pack just was a no go anyway. On one of the flashlight forums that turned up in my search, I noticed one person commented, without any explanation: “get a Spikelight”. What the hell? So, I dutifully searched Spikelight and quickly came up with the website.
http://www.spikelights.com.au/v/
Because the price for the product is still fairly high (approx $200.00 US Dollars), it is a “cottage” product, and all I knew about it was some random guy on a flashlight forum said “get one”, I studied the site and the blog for quite some time. Finally, I reached out to Ashley at Spikelights with some questions. First, let me say that Ashley responded quickly to all my questions and answered what I asked him. It is rare when I run into an established company that succeeds on this point, but they get by because they are “established”. I personally feel it is necessary for a cottage producer to respond intelligently and (relatively) quickly or they lose all credibility with me. Ashley passed this test with flying colors. After some back and forth, I decided to get a light and both of his spot beam options (one headlamp assembly but an extra LED for the other spot function).
This light is one of the best products I have ever purchased and certainly is at the top of the cottage industry products heap. It is extremely well thought out and executed. There are a couple of areas that hint it is “garage made” and I will list those:
1. The molded headband clips for the headlamp and the battery pack have some minor tooling marks on them. They also have the appearance typical of injection molded plastic at this level. Neither of these comments is meant as a negative. Many people may not notice this, but I had a friend who used to do a lot of injection molding work. So, I have seen this before. The clips appear to be very stable and well made. They just are not as “pretty” as what you might get on a, say, $400.00 Petzl Ultra Rush, but I didn’t pay $400.00 either. They are perfectly functional and fit the head well, and there were no sharp edges on mine.
2. The battery pack is attached to the rear headband clip with zip ties. This is a simple and inelegant solution. I like it because, if it breaks, I can fix it—unlike so much other crap made by “established” companies that has delicate, ill-conceived attaching/locking/ latching mechanisms. When those break, you usually have to either figure out a way to fix it (i.e. with a zip tie) or throw the whole shebang out. I’m sure it saves on production costs too and lets him keep costs down. I have no issue with this, but some may.
3. The battery pack fits inside its housing by pressure and an o ring. Once assembled, it is held together securely by a small Velcro band. Another simple solution, and I won’t have a broken latch on a battery compartment door down the road. Like the above, I have absolutely no problem with this solution.
My conclusion is, unless you keyed on one of these points when you saw the product, it easily could pass for something sold by a brand name manufacturer—it’s that good.
But enough about that—it has to work to be any good, right? In action, this thing is a monster. The flood beam puts out big, even light and the selections for power level seem just right. The spot beam is insanely good. Mine came with the narrow beam installed. It is like an airplane landing light on 100%. The beam is super tight and intense. Frankly, this beam is probably not for most users (and he pretty much says so on his site). I will probably only use it for frog gigging trips on the river, but I suspect the standard spot likely will suffice for this as well. The standard spot also is fantastic, it just is not quite as tight as the narrow, but that gives it more utility, in my opinion. I’ll be using fewer luminous trail markers for my whitetail hunting stands with that spot, I’m sure. Note that in the performance plus mode, there is a setting which allows you to simultaneously run the spot AND the flood. MORE POWER!
This light is the ultimate in a high power headlamp, in my opinion. Check out the run times Ashley has listed on his site for the various modes. I have not independently confirmed these, but I have no reason to doubt it with my exposure thus far to the product. I will say that when my cells were nearly out of power (3% charge remaining, and I did not charge them when I first tested the lamp as my charger had not come in yet), I noticed zero drop in light output. The light had not even entered its “get home” mode to conserve the remaining battery power. This in itself is amazing as far as I am concerned. This light is eking out everything those big cells can deliver.
The cells may be an issue to some. Originally, I was hoping to find something using a 123, as it would match my Surefire and my Olight baton. I hesitated a bit on this lamp due to its use of a cell with which I am not familiar. In the end, I am very glad I ignored my first instinct on that and took the chance. As the batteries are not proprietary, a different battery type is, for me, a fairly minor issue at the end of the day. The monster run times more than make up for any inconvenience.
Weight on my unit is 8.85 ounces (with batteries installed). The Surefire is just under half that weight (4 ounces with single 123) but simply is outclassed in performance. The headband is very comfortable and holds the light quite securely. The fabric seems to be sized about perfectly and it has just the right amount of stretch. I had zero issues with it, unlike my Surefire which constantly wants to move around or even fall off due to the rather skimpy and overly stretchy headband. The angle adjustment function of the lamp also is secure and needed, as it allows the light to be precisely oriented when on the head.
I bought a gasketed storage container at the Container Store to keep it in (Sistema 23 ounce capacity). It allows me to also squeeze in my Surefire headlamp and my Olight S1 baton, so I can keep all of my lights together and protected. Pretty nice for throwing in the (not so) “dry” storage area on one of my small boats, and I can probably leave the handheld floodlight and its attendant 12 volt battery at home from now on.
The cells I bought are
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230934012596?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
and the charger I bought is
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231553370581?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
I have absolutely no disappointment in this purchase. Quality piece of gear made by someone who obviously actually uses what he builds. Ashley has a really great product here. As I noted above, the price is around $200.00 (US). Also note that the site pricing is in Australian Dollars, and the current conversion rate is very favorable to us. Paypal will convert the sale to US dollars. Search a currency converter if you buy and you’ll be able to get the daily conversion which is usually to within a dollar or two of the conversion in Paypal.
I doubt many would need the narrow beam flood, but, if you decide to get both, PM me. There are a couple of specific tools you will need and a couple of tips I can give you when changing out the bulbs. It isn’t a terribly difficult process, but it is something that is best done at home.
This review is my opinion. I paid full price with my own, hard-earned US dollars for the product I reviewed. I have no connection to Spikelights, other than the fact I am now a fan of their product.
http://www.spikelights.com.au/v/
Because the price for the product is still fairly high (approx $200.00 US Dollars), it is a “cottage” product, and all I knew about it was some random guy on a flashlight forum said “get one”, I studied the site and the blog for quite some time. Finally, I reached out to Ashley at Spikelights with some questions. First, let me say that Ashley responded quickly to all my questions and answered what I asked him. It is rare when I run into an established company that succeeds on this point, but they get by because they are “established”. I personally feel it is necessary for a cottage producer to respond intelligently and (relatively) quickly or they lose all credibility with me. Ashley passed this test with flying colors. After some back and forth, I decided to get a light and both of his spot beam options (one headlamp assembly but an extra LED for the other spot function).
This light is one of the best products I have ever purchased and certainly is at the top of the cottage industry products heap. It is extremely well thought out and executed. There are a couple of areas that hint it is “garage made” and I will list those:
1. The molded headband clips for the headlamp and the battery pack have some minor tooling marks on them. They also have the appearance typical of injection molded plastic at this level. Neither of these comments is meant as a negative. Many people may not notice this, but I had a friend who used to do a lot of injection molding work. So, I have seen this before. The clips appear to be very stable and well made. They just are not as “pretty” as what you might get on a, say, $400.00 Petzl Ultra Rush, but I didn’t pay $400.00 either. They are perfectly functional and fit the head well, and there were no sharp edges on mine.
2. The battery pack is attached to the rear headband clip with zip ties. This is a simple and inelegant solution. I like it because, if it breaks, I can fix it—unlike so much other crap made by “established” companies that has delicate, ill-conceived attaching/locking/ latching mechanisms. When those break, you usually have to either figure out a way to fix it (i.e. with a zip tie) or throw the whole shebang out. I’m sure it saves on production costs too and lets him keep costs down. I have no issue with this, but some may.
3. The battery pack fits inside its housing by pressure and an o ring. Once assembled, it is held together securely by a small Velcro band. Another simple solution, and I won’t have a broken latch on a battery compartment door down the road. Like the above, I have absolutely no problem with this solution.
My conclusion is, unless you keyed on one of these points when you saw the product, it easily could pass for something sold by a brand name manufacturer—it’s that good.
But enough about that—it has to work to be any good, right? In action, this thing is a monster. The flood beam puts out big, even light and the selections for power level seem just right. The spot beam is insanely good. Mine came with the narrow beam installed. It is like an airplane landing light on 100%. The beam is super tight and intense. Frankly, this beam is probably not for most users (and he pretty much says so on his site). I will probably only use it for frog gigging trips on the river, but I suspect the standard spot likely will suffice for this as well. The standard spot also is fantastic, it just is not quite as tight as the narrow, but that gives it more utility, in my opinion. I’ll be using fewer luminous trail markers for my whitetail hunting stands with that spot, I’m sure. Note that in the performance plus mode, there is a setting which allows you to simultaneously run the spot AND the flood. MORE POWER!
This light is the ultimate in a high power headlamp, in my opinion. Check out the run times Ashley has listed on his site for the various modes. I have not independently confirmed these, but I have no reason to doubt it with my exposure thus far to the product. I will say that when my cells were nearly out of power (3% charge remaining, and I did not charge them when I first tested the lamp as my charger had not come in yet), I noticed zero drop in light output. The light had not even entered its “get home” mode to conserve the remaining battery power. This in itself is amazing as far as I am concerned. This light is eking out everything those big cells can deliver.
The cells may be an issue to some. Originally, I was hoping to find something using a 123, as it would match my Surefire and my Olight baton. I hesitated a bit on this lamp due to its use of a cell with which I am not familiar. In the end, I am very glad I ignored my first instinct on that and took the chance. As the batteries are not proprietary, a different battery type is, for me, a fairly minor issue at the end of the day. The monster run times more than make up for any inconvenience.
Weight on my unit is 8.85 ounces (with batteries installed). The Surefire is just under half that weight (4 ounces with single 123) but simply is outclassed in performance. The headband is very comfortable and holds the light quite securely. The fabric seems to be sized about perfectly and it has just the right amount of stretch. I had zero issues with it, unlike my Surefire which constantly wants to move around or even fall off due to the rather skimpy and overly stretchy headband. The angle adjustment function of the lamp also is secure and needed, as it allows the light to be precisely oriented when on the head.
I bought a gasketed storage container at the Container Store to keep it in (Sistema 23 ounce capacity). It allows me to also squeeze in my Surefire headlamp and my Olight S1 baton, so I can keep all of my lights together and protected. Pretty nice for throwing in the (not so) “dry” storage area on one of my small boats, and I can probably leave the handheld floodlight and its attendant 12 volt battery at home from now on.
The cells I bought are
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230934012596?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
and the charger I bought is
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231553370581?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
I have absolutely no disappointment in this purchase. Quality piece of gear made by someone who obviously actually uses what he builds. Ashley has a really great product here. As I noted above, the price is around $200.00 (US). Also note that the site pricing is in Australian Dollars, and the current conversion rate is very favorable to us. Paypal will convert the sale to US dollars. Search a currency converter if you buy and you’ll be able to get the daily conversion which is usually to within a dollar or two of the conversion in Paypal.
I doubt many would need the narrow beam flood, but, if you decide to get both, PM me. There are a couple of specific tools you will need and a couple of tips I can give you when changing out the bulbs. It isn’t a terribly difficult process, but it is something that is best done at home.
This review is my opinion. I paid full price with my own, hard-earned US dollars for the product I reviewed. I have no connection to Spikelights, other than the fact I am now a fan of their product.
